Happiest Moments
by alwaysuptonogood
Summary: Harry and Ginny talk about Patronus's in the common room, in which Harry seems to lighten to the idea of Dean's violent death. Disclaimer: I am neither rich nor famous nor own Harry Potter, comprende? Savvy? Good. R R XD


**Yay, another story which has been written since something like December 2005, or something crazy like that! As I said in Cullens In A Chatroom, I'm simply posting up stories which have been on my memory stick {pen drive} for ages and ages and ages here...and slowly killing my hard drive, so anyway, I may as well post them as apparently there really isn't much to do in Washington =[**

'Hey Harry.'

Harry jumped up from the sofa in the Gryffindor Common room and swung around to see who had spoken. It was Ginny. She was curled up in an armchair by the wireless and had a large book open and was biting the end of her quill, deep in thought.

'Oh, it's you Ginny.' He walked over and sat down in the chair next to her. He could smell the flowery smell from Potions class and resisted the urge to kiss her then and there. Harry tore his gaze from her face, peered over to see what she was reading about and saw the title 'The Patronus Charm.'

He looked up at her and saw her biting her lip and the monster in his stomach growled.

'It's Snape's homework. We've got to write up an account of the theory on the charm and the effects of the Dementors Kiss. I mean, how the hell are we meant to know what it feels like? None of us have been attacked by Dementors!'

'I can help you with that.'

Ginny opened her mouth to speak and stuttered. 'Oh – oh yeah, I forgot! Would you mind? I've only had that horrid feeling where you're never going to be happy again.'

Harry took the book and scanned the page quickly. He snorted and pushed the book back. 'That's hardly a great description, is it?' She shook her head and crossed her legs.

'I hate Snape,' she mumbled.

'The feeling's mutual,' said Harry crossly. He hadn't forgiven Snape yet for... well, _existing_.

'So tell me. What happens when you're attacked by a Dementor?'

'Well – imagine the worst moment of your life. The worst you've ever felt.'

Ginny closed her eyes lightly and thought for a moment. Then she suddenly shuddered. 'Ooh, Tom coming out of the diary.'

Harry nodded. 'Well, you relive that. You relive the worst memories of your life.'

'What do you see?'

There was silence in which Harry stared at the ground. Ginny immediately wished she hadn't spoken.

'Oh, god, I'm sorry, Harry; you don't have to tell me, of course you don't.'

Harry shook his head. He didn't want _her_ to feel bad, of all people. 'Nah, I don't mind. I can hear my Mum screaming my name, Dad telling her to run and Voldemort laughing.'

Ginny flinched at the name. 'That must be horrible. No wonder you hate the Dementors so much. That's your Boggart, isn't it?'

'Yeah; I fear _fear_ the most. That's what Lupin told me. That's why Dementors affect me so much – according to him – it's because I've got all those horrors in my past. I'd rather die than go to Azkaban.'

They sat in silence until Harry broke it; his voice normal again.

'Trust me to make every conversation depressing. OK then, you can cast a Patronus charm, can't you?'

Ginny shrugged. 'Kind of, I s'pose, but I can never think of anything happy.'

Harry stared at her for a moment. 'Just think of what's left to fight for. That's what I think of.'

She smiled at him, her face tilted to the side thoughtfully. 'Well that's something, I suppose.'

There was another silence in which Harry read the page again. 'When you're being attacked by Dementors, you're just helpless. I bet Hermione could think of a better explanation, she was there when Sirius and I were attacked back in Third Year.'

'That must have been awful as well. How did you get away from that, anyway?'

Harry grinned at the memory and looked up into her chocolate brown eyes. 'Well – I did. But not then, later on; it's really complicated.'

'Tell me!'

'OK. I saw what I thought was my dad. Me, Hermione and Sirius passed out but we were rescued by a Patronus.'

'How could your dad have rescued you? I mean, well, he's _dead_,' she whispered the last word.

'It was me. You know Hermione had a load of classes that year; well she had a Time Turner.'

Ginny's mouth dropped open. 'Wow!'

'I know. That was kind of my reaction to. We went back to when we visited Hagrid, helped Buckbeak escape and took him into the forest. We watched until we went into the Whomping Willow and then we went into Hagrid's cabin. I ran out when I saw the Dementors and waited for my dad, but I realised it was me. That's how much I look like him. We rescued Sirius from the tower on Buckbeak and Sirius escaped on him.'

Ginny beamed. 'You're always one for saving people, aren't you Mr Potter? Anyway, we got distracted; I need to do the homework.'

They both looked back down at the homework, Ginny's hair trailing over Harry's face, making him shiver.

'What?' she asked curiously, feeling him shiver.

'Nothing,' said Harry hastily. 'What else do you need to know?'

'Erm, wait a minute, yeah, that's it. I need to know about the appearances' of each individual Patronus.'

'I know that they reflect people's personality and that sort of thing. Like, what's yours?'

Ginny took out her wand and waved it muttering 'Expecto Patronum!' A large, silvery horse emerged from the end and galloped once around the Common Room. It landed back by Harry and Ginny, neighed once and disappeared.

'Wow,' said Harry impressed, and Ginny smirked.

'Well, my dad's Animagus form was a stag, and that's my Patronus. D'you know why yours is a horse?'

Ginny shrugged carelessly. 'No idea. I used to love horses when I was little; there was a farm in the Muggle village and dad or Bill used to take me to see them all the time. They stopped when I accidently turned one orange when I was five though.'

Harry chuckled and Ginny blushed for some reason. 'A Patronus can change though. Tonks' has. I saw it on the day back. It's this big, hairy thing. I think it might be Sirius.'

'Sirius was a big hairy-'

'No, his Animagus form.'

'Oh,' said Ginny, giggling. Harry raised his eyebrows and she stopped.

'Sorry. That was kind of funny though.'

'Whatever, Gin.'

'So,' said Ginny awkwardly after a moment's silence, 'what's the theory of the Patronus Charm? Or what other boring stuff there is to do on this essay.' She threw her hair over her shoulder and grinned at Harry. 'Happiest moments?'

'Dunno,' Harry answered truthfully. Well, it was _partly_ truthful.

'Oh come on,' said Ginny persuasively. 'You must have one?'

Harry bit his tongue, thinking hard. He'd never really thought about it before; he didn't have thinking time before Dementor attacks. He'd had lots of happy moments, some better than others. But now, thinking back...

'The Mirror of Erised.'

Ginny looked confused. 'The _what_?'

'Oh, you don't know...' Did he really want to tell her? He may as well, he thought, she deserved to know.

'I found the Mirror of Erised in my first year, by accident,' he explained slowly, carefully planning out his words before he spoke them. 'I was running from Snape and Filch when I found it. It was just sitting there, in an abandoned classroom. They were all there...'

'Who was there?' asked Ginny, listening carefully, giving Harry her undivided attention. Harry frowned. It seemed so long ago.

'My family,' he said simply. Ginny gave a small 'oh' and studied Harry's face carefully.

'Were you happy?' she asked. 'To see them?'

'Of course I was,' he said, his voice hoarse, examining the faded scarlet carpet. 'They're the family I'll never have.'

'You have us, you know,' Ginny said softly, hesitantly resting her hand on his. Harry closed his eyes for a second at her touch, marvelling at how soft and warm her hand was.

'Thanks, Gin,' he mumbled. She gave a small smile and moved her hand from his to pull out her quill again. Harry gave an inaudible sigh as Ginny looked up.

'You OK?' she asked. Harry nodded, clearing his throat silently.

''M fine.'

There was silence before Ginny spoke again.

'I want to know what Snape and Filch were doing sneaking around together at night anyway. Now _that_ is a disturbing thought.'

'Thanks Ginny, that's supplied me with nightmares until I turn, what, eighteen now?' Harry laughed.

'Don't blame me; I've always thought they would make a beautiful couple. Both incapable of using shampoo...both grouchy hermits who talk to themselves and think it's good fun to chase students down the halls... a match made in heaven if you ask me,' Ginny said.

There was more silence as their laughs died away, in which all Harry could hear was the scratching of Ginny's quill.

'What's yours?'

'What?' she asked, chewing the end of her quill in thought.

'Your happiest memory; I told you mine.'

To his surprise, Ginny blushed a deep crimson. 'I ca-can't tell you,' she muttered. Harry raised her eyebrows.

'Please?'

'I can't! It's too embarrassing!'

'Ginny?' he asked warningly. Ginny scowled at him and crossed her legs and arms.

'Erm...well, you, er, saving me I guess,' she said nervously. Harry frowned.

'Well I guess you would have been happy if Filch had saved you,' Harry said, 'at least you'd have gotten out of Chamber of the Creeps.'

Ginny blushed again, 'yeah, well, I sort of, erm, _liked_ you back then.'

'Oh, that makes me feel so great, now she doesn't even like me.'

'Oh shut up, you know what I mean, back then I was kind of an obsessed stalker-ish kind of girl...' she said awkwardly.

'I did notice a few butter dishes flying off the table.'

'Damn! I thought you hadn't noticed that.'

'It was sort of hard to miss; but I just pretended I hadn't seen.'

'Well _thank _you,' said Ginny courteously, picking up her quill and scribbling again. 'I have a feeling that that may have been the most embarrassing day of my life,' she said thoughtfully. Harry gave a short laugh.

Ginny scribbled something down on her parchment and threw down her quill. 'That'll have to do. I'll get Hermione to write the summary tomorrow morning at breakfast. She owes me.'

'Why?' asked Harry curiously, twiddling his wand casually in his fingers. Ginny smirked again.

'I covered for her with McGonagall the other day after we were caught writing notes in a study period. She got me a bloody detention as well.'

'What did the note say?'

'Oh, just that we wondered whether she and Dumbledore had something going on.'

Harry laughed, stood up and swung his bag over his shoulder. 'Not a nice thought. Seriously, I'm going to have that image planted firmly in my mind for the rest of the month. Maybe someone should ask.'

'I already did,' said Ginny cheekily, her eyes glinting. Harry seriously considered resorting to stabbing Dean when he reached the dormitory. 'I asked her straight out when she read the note and she told me that I should stop making up ridiculous stories and carry on with my work. I also lost Gryffindor twenty five points. But I swear I saw the trace of a blush...maybe one day there's going to be little bearded babies running around Hogwarts,' she flashed him another smile, and his stomach lurched. Why did she have to be so damn pretty?

He forced a laugh, which sounded more like he was being choked. 'Night, Gin, I'll see you tomorrow.'

Harry stumbled reluctantly up the stairs as Ginny packed away her work. She called after him 'goodnight then, Potter!'He grinned and ran up the stairs to Ron's earth shattering snores, pausing slightly in front of Dean's bed, his hand twitching for his wand.


End file.
